Johnny Whale

If there is one essay you want to be impressive, it is your university admission essay. You want this paper to be the best possible showcase of your insights, ability, and writing power that you can possibly create.

You also want to make sure it is a highly original piece as well. Why? Because these admission committees are laterally flooded with application packets from thousands of students. They divide these up by department and then these departments have to read all the essays for students who are planning to major in that area.

Either way, we’re talking about a lot of essays to write. Picture what they’re going through and then carefully select how you are going to strategize this paper with that in mind.

Here are five helpful tips to apply when you’re trying to strategize your university essay.

Envision your reader.
You have a busy reader who is flooded with applications. You do not want to turn in a mediocre essay for your admissions to college—you want it to be impressive and original. Pick your topic carefully.

Pick a Topic You Know Something About and Want to Learn About Too
You want to pick a topic you can discuss about –if not at length at least in a general conversation—this will make the general writing (not the research writing) easier.

By picking something to research you already want to know more about, the writing and research process will become a process of discovery—and you’ll kill two birds with one stone. For example, if you have been recently told you suffer from adrenal fatigue and you need to learn more about it – AND you have a research paper due, why not write about adrenal fatigue and learn about it through research for your paper, getting your paper written and your quest to learn more about your condition taken care of as well.

Read lots of award winning sample admissions essays
Ask a librarian for help with this and use these as models.

If it is a research essay, make sure your research shines
Use a combination of book and journal sources and do not simply pollute the works cited with easy internet after internet source. THAT will not get you into graduate school or a great undergrad school either.